Taking care of your Spirit | Managing emotions | Nurturing your mind | Taking care of your body

Self respect

Boost your self esteem newsletter Issue #10

I was walking down the street the other day and I happened to see a big advertising that said: self respect. On the advertising there was a picture of a girl , but when I read it more carefully I found that it was and advertising about AIDS.

Self respect is a powerful word, it does not only mean that we have to take care of ourselves to avoid AIDS; it means that we are conscious of our self worth, our self esteem.

I thought that if many people were aware of what self respect means, this advertising will not only help a lot of people to avoid AIDS but also it would be a reminder for all of us to be conscious all the time of are need for self esteem.

If you respect yourself it means that you have self-love and high self esteem . But this is not the result of comparing yourself to others. You like yourself not because of what you can or cannot do, but simply because of whom you are.

Respecting yourself means you have integrity. You know how to choose what is good for you. You know when to say nof, you choose the best for you. You know you have value regarding what other people says. You know that you are giving the best you can, you are doing the best you can and you have value just because you are alive.

You keep respecting yourself even if you think you fail . You are tolerant and patient. You are not afraid to make mistakes , you know who you are.

So if you happen to see the advertising that I saw, I hope the word self respect will be a reminder of your own value and dignity , your self esteem. As I once heard: "Self respect means listening to your body and emotions continuously. Then acting beyond a linear logic to achieve ones goals". Respect yourself respect others.

Embracing Your Inner Critic: Turning Self-Criticism into a Creative Asset: Listen to your inner critic and transform this voice so that it can become a supportive partner in your life instead of your worst enemy.

The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own. Eric Hoffer